Mihăiță Bamburic

There is no denying that the OnePlus 3T is still a very good high-end smartphone. But, since it will soon be replaced by the OnePlus 5, which rocks some amazing hardware and, hopefully, just as an attractive price tag as before, the current flagship killer will not be available for much longer.

In fact, OnePlus has announced that there is limited stock left, so, if you are considering buying a OnePlus 3T, now is your last chance to get one.

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A year after announcing the original Mi Max, Xiaomi unveiled its successor, the Mi Max 2. The phablet comes with the same major selling points as before, namely a huge screen and a massive battery.

The Mi Max 2 is a mid-range smartphone with a 6.44-inch display, which puts it closer to a small tablet than the average phablet, and a resolution of 1,080 by 1,920. The battery is a 6,300mAh unit, that is non-removable, with support for Qualcomm's Quick Charge 3.0 technology.

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Biometric authentication may be more convenient than a PIN or password, but it is not as secure as you might be lead to believe. The iris scanner on the Galaxy S8 can be defeated with a photo and contact lens, despite Samsung's claims that it offers "airtight security" and provides "one of the safest ways to keep your phone locked and the contents private."

If this has you worried, Samsung says that it is "difficult for the whole scenario to happen in reality," even though the hack "appears simple." The company believes that having the right tools in the first place can prove to be problematic for anyone attempting to defeat the iris scanner.

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OnePlus is slowly releasing more information about its upcoming flagship killer, the OnePlus 5. After teasing the possible color options, the Chinese maker now reveals the processor that powers it and the location of the fingerprint sensor.

As you might expect, the OnePlus 5 will come with a Snapdragon 835, which is the latest and greatest processor from Qualcomm. This chip is also used by the Samsung Galaxy S8 and HTC U11, among other flagships.

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Security researchers from Check Point have discovered a major vulnerability in popular media players, like VLC, Kodi and Popcorn Time, which leaves users vulnerable to hacker attacks via malicious subtitles. The security firm estimates that the number of potential victims is around 200 million.

Media players give users the option to load subtitles from repositories, which can be tricked by attackers to rank their altered subtitles higher. This leads to those malicious subtitles being recommended to the user. If they are loaded, attackers can gain control over "any device running them." Check Point notes that the "potential damage the attacker can inflict is endless, ranging anywhere from stealing sensitive information, installing ransomware, mass Denial of Service attacks, and much more."

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As we are getting closer to the launch of the eagerly-awaited OnePlus 5, we are learning more things about the upcoming flagship killer. We know its name, when it will be released, and what sort of improvements we can expect to see in the camera department.

And now, thanks to a new teaser posted by OnePlus on Twitter, we also have a pretty good idea about the color options that could be available for the OnePlus 5 and how many there will be.

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If you want to secure your Samsung Galaxy S8, relying on the iris scanner to keep it locked is not the best idea. That's because it can be easily fooled using just a printed photo and a contact lens.

This reinforces the belief that biometric authentication is -- at least for now -- less secure than traditional options, like PINs and passwords, which have the advantage of not being tied to a physical trait that can be easily exploited by hackers, thieves or the authorities.

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Chuwi makes some interesting Windows devices that do not break the bank. The LapBook 15.6, the bigger brother to the lovely LapBook 14.1 that I tested earlier this year, is the perfect example: it's got a large, high-resolution screen, sleek design, competitive hardware, and an attractive price point.

It can be had for just under $200 for a limited time, but we have now teamed up with Chuwi to offer one for free to a lucky BetaNews reader. Here is what you need to know.

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Microsoft is expected to unveil the successor to the Surface Pro 4 tomorrow at a special event in Shanghai. There is not much that we know about the new hybrid device at this stage, other than it will look very similar to the current model, but the software giant hints that there will be four new Type Covers available for it.

Microsoft's corporate VP of Devices, Panos Panay, has posted a photo on Twitter which shows the keyboard in what appears to be red, gold, gray and blue colors. That would match the keyboard colors of the Surface Laptop, which was introduced early this month.

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Netflix is the first big name on Google Play to block Android devices that are rooted or have an unlocked bootloader from downloading its app. And it looks like it may not be the last, as now Google is officially giving all developers the option to do the same.

Developers on Google Play can enforce support exclusions based on a device's SafetyNet status, which is also what Netflix has used to restrict access. Out of the box, rooted devices or devices with an unlocked bootloader are supported, but developers have two options that they can choose to change that.

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The WannaCry ransomware has made a huge mess across the globe, affecting hundreds of thousands of PCs, including critical devices in the healthcare sector. It is so dangerous that Microsoft released a public patch for Windows XP, after it dropped support three years ago.

Of course, the patch did not stop Windows XP users from getting infected, but, thankfully, a decryption tool, called WannaKey, is now available and should help recover your locked files. And the good news is that it works on other operating systems too, including Windows 7 (the x86 version, anyway) and Windows Server 2008!

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If it's one thing that consumers expect in a flagship smartphone, it's a great camera. Getting quality photos and videos is one of the main reasons why so many folks spend their hard earned cash on devices like the HTC U11, Samsung Galaxy S8, Apple iPhone 7 or Google Pixel -- and why those devices cost as much as they do.

OnePlus is well aware of this, so it has teamed up with DxO to "enhance [the] photography experience" with the upcoming OnePlus 5. This is one of the few things that the company has revealed about the next flagship killer, aside from the name and the "summer" release date.

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Office 365 officially received a project management tool, called Planner, in June 2016, but it is not until today that Microsoft introduces an accompanying mobile app. And the platform of choice for the first Microsoft Planner app is iOS.

When Microsoft publicly launched Planner, the software giant said that there will be apps available for Windows and Android devices too, but there is no announcement regarding the support for the other two platforms. Hopefully, that will happen at some point in the near future.

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Google has showcased a number of major changes coming to Android at its I/O event yesterday, like Google Play Protect. It is designed to keep your smartphone safe using app usage analysis and machine learning, and includes a feature that many Android users are already familiar with.

Part of Google Play Protect is Find My Device, which has been previously known as Android Device Manager. Google decided to change the name, and add new functionality in the process, likely because it is more appropriate, considering what it is mainly used for -- which is to locate Android devices and remotely wipe or ring them.

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If you do not fancy the Apple iPhone 7 Plus or the new Samsung Galaxy S8+, Google still has a very attractive option for fans of bigger smartphones -- the Pixel XL. It has a premium build, fast internals, an amazing camera, and software support straight from the search giant itself.

Making the Pixel XL an even more interesting option is the fact that Google is now offering a free case with the purchase of its larger Android 7.1-powered smartphone. Here's what you need to know.

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